ET
by pynki616
Summary: Castle comes home to an interesting situation...


AN: Just a quick little one shot that popped into my head the other day. Set late season five, very slight spoilers for Always.

Richard Castle sighs as he leans against the back wall of the elevator that is taking him up to his loft. Meetings with Black Pawn are always exhausting, and he often wonders why they even need him there. All they do is talk and argue around him, while he sits there shooting out the occasional discrete text to Kate or Alexis. If they're so concerned about meeting deadlines, shouldn't they be letting him stay home to write, instead of dragging him to these meetings only to ignore his every suggestion? Ah, well. He managed to sneak out of this one a little early, anyway, and now he's almost home to his girls. He wonders what they're doing; neither one of them answered their phones.

The elevator dings, signaling his arrival onto his floor. He steps out and strides to his door, only to stop and listen after he singled out the right key. Is that… music? Really loud music? He slips his key into the lock and opens the door quietly, only to be assaulted with the voice of Katy Perry, singing about abductions and extra terrestrials. Really? Katy Perry? What is going on here?

Castle slips in and shuts the door with a soft click. Wouldn't have mattered if he had slammed it, it wouldn't have been heard over the music blaring from the living room. Now that he's in, he hears other voices mixed in with Katy's. His first glimpse into the living room stops him in his tracks. Standing on the coffee table, in her pajamas, is Alexis, alternately dancing with/singing into the handle of the broom. While this may not be her normal behavior, she IS his kid, so he's not entirely surprised by this. What he IS surprised by is Kate. Dressed in his old superman T-shirt, a pair of boxers, and fuzzy pink socks, she is dancing around on the floor, singing into what looks like her hairbrush. She's not holding still long enough for him to get a good look.

No wonder they didn't answer their phones. Not wanting to give himself away just yet, he inches toward the wall, trying to see if he can sneak into his office. Once there, maybe he can use his phone to get a video through the bookshelves. He'll have a better vantage point from there, not to mention less chance of getting caught.

"DAD!" A surprised shriek halts his progress. He watches as Kate stumbles mid-slide and drops her microph…. *ahem* hairbrush as she turns to him. Wide-eyed, wild haired and blushing profusely, she has never looked more adorable. The music gets quieter, and Castle notices that Alexis has stepped off her stage to get the remote.

"Castle. You're, uh, home early, huh?" Kate trips over her words just a little, but stands a little straighter as if in defiance of the embarrassment heating up her face. Castle barely notices her stumble, he's focused on her word choice. Home.

"Yeah, Dad, why didn't you call?" Alexis asks.

"I did," he manages after clearing his throat. "You, uh, must not have heard your phones." He feels like he should be looking at Alexis as he talks to her, but he can't remove his eyes from Kate. Alexis shifts her gaze between her dad and Kate, who are so engrossed in each other that she could probably shout "FIRE!" and they wouldn't notice. She decides that she should excuse herself before she sees something she *really* doesn't want to.

"I'll, um, just give you two a minute. Go get dressed, or something," Alexis says before turning and trotting to the stairs. She throws one last look over her shoulder, and they still haven't moved. Shaking her head, she makes her way to her room. Those two really have it bad.

Alexis' exit shakes Castle out of his stupor, and he reaches out a hand towards Kate. "Wait right there. Don't move," he commands, earning a slightly confused eyebrow raise from his girlfriend. He ignores it and darts into his office, to the third drawer on the right. The one with the false bottom. The one he's been using to hide something from his detective.

Castle pulls up the false bottom and takes out the little box nestled inside. He's had this ring since, oh, maybe a month after the night she showed up at his door, dripping rainwater and sincerity. They were walking to a coffee shop, on their way to meet up with Lanie and Esposito. Apparently, the happenings on the rooftop that day put things in perspective for more than just Kate. So they were walking, and they came upon a jewelry store. Kate stopped and was entranced by this ring, on display in the window. By the wistful smile on her face, Castle knew that this was the one. Pretending not to notice what she was looking at, and knowing that she wasn't ready to be called out on it, he drew her attention instead to a gorgeous necklace in the next display. He went back the next day after a meeting and bought the ring and matching wedding bands.

Castle closes the box, puts the false bottom back in, and slides the drawer shut. His knees wobble a little as he stands to go back to Kate. He is nervous. Not because he thinks she'll say no, but because he just wants to do this right. His last proposal. Kate was right. Third time really is the charm. He makes his way back to the living room, where Kate is standing looking much less embarrassed and much more impatient. He stops in front of her and smiles, letting his love for her shine out.

"I wanted to do this next weekend, on our trip to the Hamptons, but… Seeing you here, with Alexis, I just couldn't wait. You're amazing, and I just can't wait anymore." He drops down to one knee, takes her left hand in his right. He looks up, sees her trying to hide her huge smile behind her free hand, eyes already glistening, and he is filled with confidence. "Kate. You are incredible. Extraordinary. I would give absolutely anything to be your one and done. Will you marry me?"

Kate is down on her knees with him in a second, throwing her arms around his neck. "Yes, Castle," she replies, pulling back to look him in the eyes. She frames his face with her hands, kisses him thoroughly. "Yes, I'll marry you," she murmurs against his lips before kissing him again. Castle breaks the kiss, reaches for her left hand. He takes the ring from the box and slips in on her finger. Kate gasps as she sees it, looks up at him with realization in her eyes. "You've had this? For a year?"

"I've known I wanted to marry you for at least two years, Kate. When I saw you looking at this, I knew it was the one. I just needed the right moment," he responds, pulling her up with him to stand. She steps into him, wraps her arms around him.

"I love you, Rick. Thank you for waiting for me, for being so patient."

"Always, Kate."

Alexis, who had been watching from her perch on the stairs, wipes a tear from her eye. It's about time, you guys, she thinks as she stands up, really going to her room this time. It's about time.

AN: Reviews are like skittles. I can never get enough... :)


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